Fashionably Late and Awkward

Sandra’s boss was making it mandatory to attend some silly fundraiser. She knew it was nothing important and she wouldn’t know a single person other than her boss. But at least she could donate to underprivileged kids in Latin America.

For some reason, she felt butterflies in her stomach. She had a sudden rush of nervousness about this night. She took the extra time to get ready and decided on being fashionably late rather than punctually present. She went with the Donna Karen perfume, rather than her normal free samples. She went with the high heels rather than her flats.

She had an unusual piece of mind- a definite serenity in which the origin could not be placed. As she walked up to the front door, she wished she had better things to do on a Friday night.

Everyone turned their heads as she walked in the front door. There she stood, fashionably late and awkward. What was she thinking? Her boss was walking towards her. Here comes my fake smile, she thought. This was of course accompanying the perfected imitation of someone who actually gives a shit.

“Donald!! Hi! I’m so glad you found me!”
“Oh, San. So glad you could make it!” She hated when people called her San. She gave him a wink.

She traveled around the social circles and was introduced to everyone worth knowing. As she dazed off while pretending to be stimulated in a conversation, she locked eyes with the man in the corner. He was the only one who seemed just as out of place as she was. Awkwardly handsome and his eyes were almost hypnotizing; she became lost in them. Then she realized- he was walking towards her.

-------------------

Bert sat in the corner of the fundraiser, trying to remember how he heard of this event. He knew it was an email but he couldn’t put a name to it. In fact, he couldn’t even put a name to any face in the room. This took place of his ordinary Friday night. There was finally something else to do instead of watching his weekly television shows. Could his life be any more boring? God, he couldn’t wait to move. Even if it was an hour from where he lived, at least it was a change.

This party sucked. What was it benefiting? As he became lost in thought about nothing in particular- she arrived. Who she was, he didn’t know. He bounced back into reality as butterflies bounced around in his stomach. There was a serene presence about her that set him at ease. He knew at that moment,
“I love this girl.”

Bert sat in the corner and watched as she worked the room like it was her job, walking from person to person, interacting in one stimulating conversation after the other. He saw their eyes- everyone was watching her. It wasn’t just him- everyone loved her. How could he fall for a girl that was so far out of his league? He felt frozen in his loneliness.

They made contact and smiled. Game over.
All of his blood rushed into his cheeks and his adrenaline rushed all over his body. And without his acknowledgment, he started walking towards her.

“Hi, my name is Robert and I think you’re beautiful.”
The sweetest words she ever heard. She replied, “What?”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of anything else to say.”
“Well, thank you. My name is Cassandra and I think you’re very forward.” No she didn’t. Why did she say that?
“N-no, no... I just speak the truth. I also think you’re wearing too much perfume.”
She laughed hysterically- the sweetest sound he’s ever heard.
“A swing and a miss…” she sang. “I’ll see you later, Carl.”
He hunched over with the weight of defeat on his shoulders. Strike three, he thought.

----------------------

She walked through the aisles of Central Market; she always got so lost in this place. Around the corner she entered to the paradise of wines. As she carefully selected the favorite of the week, she felt a sudden rush of nervousness. She successfully crossed everything off of her list and checked out at the front. On the way to her red sports car, she couldn’t shake the feeling. Was someone watching her? Maybe someone was surprising her- she was never surprised. She dropped a box of Kleenex and bent down to pick it up.

She drove home and parked in her normal place, the only vacant spot in her lot. In order to minimize trips to the car, she carried all of her bags at once- acting as the Incredible Hulk. She quickly walked to the front door with her keys ready. She was in- she dropped the bags and bent down to pick them up. The door shut behind her.

-----------------

With dusk in the sky, the man sat in his car and observed as she walked out of Central Market. She had an entire cart full of groceries- this was the night she went shopping. As she unlocked her Ford Mustang he watched as she peered over her shoulder to make sure there were no predators watching. She dropped a Kleenex box and bent over to pick it up- damn, her ass looked good.

He could leave now. He had to be ready this time. He would beat her home.

He drove home in silence. Contemplating what the outcome of his attack might be. He couldn’t let things get out of hand- he had been planning this night for so long. Everything must go smoothly.
He parked and got out of his car. Dressed in casually dark clothes, he was not planning on being noticed.

He was no one in particular.

He took his planned place on the bench, lingering around the corner of the front door. He heard her car, her high heels quickly clacking to the door, she grabbed her keys, she opened the lock, and he made his move. She left the door open as she walked in her unlit apartment. He followed and shut the door behind him.

----------------------

Rob was having a tough night. Work didn’t go well and he had to put in some extra hours. He didn’t call any one to tell them he would be late. He began the drive back to the city that he thought he would never have a reason to go back to. He found that reason. He drove past Central Market, this is the night she grocery shops. He pulled into the apartment complex. He couldn’t find a parking spot, so much for being fashionably late. The door was open. That girl never has concern for her air conditioning bill. He heard a muffled scream.

The lights flipped on as Rob flipped out. All of the warmth in the world went into his fists as adrenaline rushed all over his body. Rob grabbed a man on top of Sandra and threw him against the wall. The rest was a fuzzy rage onto no one in particular.

-----------------------

The next morning Sandra awoke in a hospital with Rob sleeping in a chair at her feet. She kissed his bruised knuckles to awaken him from his sleep. He wrapped his arms around her overly perfumed neck.

She was suddenly embarrassed. “Don’t look at my face! It’s all swollen and bruised.”
“I think you’re beautiful”, he whispered. “But you still wear too much perfume.”